So… how’s it coming out there in the real world? Would the old you in the cap and gown approve?

Graduation inspiration – and the energy, enthusiasm and exuberance it creates – shouldn’t fade away. Every day is a new opportunity to study, learn, innovate and make a difference. Trouble is it’s easy to forget that feeling when life’s inevitable challenges get in our way.

I’m no life coach, but I’ve always been interested in happiness and motivation at work. And it seems I’m always pursuing that graduation day mixture of joy/potential/optimism (and yeah, plenty of naïveté) like the fountain of youth.

What if we thought of ourselves as constantly graduating from the Class of Now?

As marketers, we need that edge. When you communicate for a living, it doesn’t pay to be set in your ways with a “this is how it’s always been done” mentality. Graduation day reminds us to welcome change, stay open to new perspectives, envision a bright future and push some envelopes.

The trick is to keep that perspective as we gain experience, wisdom and knowledge throughout our careers. Then, in the words of Dr. Seuss himself … “Oh the places you’ll go.”